Automatic telephone switch



March 24, 1925; 1,531,135 C. D. RICHARD.

AUTOMATIC TELEPHONE SWITCH Filed June 27, 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 March 24. 1925.

1,531,135 C. D. RICHARD AUTOMATIC TELEPHONE SWITCH Filed June 27, 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Mar; 24, 1925.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES D. RICHARD, OF WEST NEW BRIGHTON, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO WESTERN ELECTRIC COMPANY, INCORPORATED, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

Application filed June 27, 1922.

which the following is a full, clear, concise,

and exact description.

This invention relates to automatic telephone exchange switching apparatus and more particularly to the so-called coordinate switches of the type adapted for establishing connections in an automatic telephone exchange system.

This invention is particularly adaptable toa switching system of the type generally disclosed in Patent No. 1,515,735 issued to C. L. Goodrum et al, on November 18, 1924, but it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that this invention may be applied equally well to perform other switching functions. I

In the switch as disclosed in the above mentioned patent, operating cards or camming members are provided for each set of active wire conductors for moving the conductors into engagementwith grid conductors with a rubbing action. These camming members being necessarily made of insulation material, due to the great numbers of operations, they are subjected to considerable wear.

By this present invention it is proposed to reduce the wear on the cards by relieving them-of their camming action and by providing longitudinally movable members each carrying a set of grid conductors common to vertical rows of flexible conductors. The said grid conductors being movable are adapted to efl'ect a rubbing contact with their associated sets of flexible conductors.

A feature of the invention resides in the provision of a novel bank or grid of longiguides and 'e ki e w teh ra f tudinal conductors which consists of a p1u- A'U'IOIVIIA'IIC TELEPHONE SWITCH.

Serial No. 571,246.

the coupling supports, whereby it will be possible to easily remove or assemble said supports together with their couplings and the grid unit in proper location relative to their associated transverse contact wires.

Other features of the invention and advantages will appear from the following detailed description and by the claims appended hereto, reference being had to the accompanying drawings in whicn Fig. 1 is a partial front assembly view of said switch, Fig. 2 is a top view thereof showing the lower grid unit in operated position Fig. 3 is a side view of Fig. 1 showing the lower set of transversecontacts in engagement with its associated set of grid conductors. Fig. 4. is a perspective view of a modified form of a yieldable coupling also showing a type of latch used for locking the supports in position on the switch f ame, Fig. 5 is another F partial front assembly view of said switch showing a modified form of mechanism for operatingthe grid units, F 6 is a top view of Fig. 5, Fig. 7 is a side view of Fig. 5 showing the upper set of transverse contact wires in operated position. Fig. 8 is a perspective view of a modified form of a lock used for fastening the coupling supporting member to the switch frame.

The grid conductors comprising the wires l, 2, 3, 4. and 1 2 3 i, Fig. 1, are insulatedly arranged on longitudinallymovable bars 9 and 9 each of which is connected at each end to a yieldable' coupling comprising in general a bar 10,a support 11 and a spring 12, together with a latch 13 adapted to lock the support 11 in position on the switch frame 14 as shown in Fig. 4.

The modified form of yieldable coupling shown in Fig. 8 comprises in general a support 11 a spring 12 and a spindle 13 The outer ends of said spring extend laterally from said spindle and on them is at tached one end of a grid bar 9 as shown Each support 11 is securely held in its proper position in the switch frame 14 by means of screw 13 screwed in lug 15 which is preferably formed integrally with the switch frame. I

The modified form of yieldable coupling shown in Fig. 6 comprises generally a support 11 and a reed 10 which extends laterally from said support and on the free end of which is arranged'one end of the movable grid unit. But it is to be noted, however, that this form of coupling is more I scribed.

preferably adaptable with the grid units as shown in Figs. 5 and 7 in which the grid conductors are interwoven on vertical bars of insulating material 50 which are held. secure on their supporting members by means of metal strips 51.

The individual grid conductors are securely, but detachably, fastened at both ends to the resilient reeds 56, 57 and 58 (Fig. 5), these reeds being fixedly and insulatively mounted on the switch frame similarly to the contact springs 16, 17, 18, 19 and 20, 21, 22, 23, etc., hereinafter de- These conductors are maintained in spaced relation to each other by means of the insulative intermediate supports 50 (Fig. 5) supported by the movable bars 9 and 9 and may be removed individually without affecting the adjacent conductors I and contact springs by uncoupling each con ductor from its supporting reeds and withdrawing it through either end of the frame. Supports 15 are of insulation material and are disposed at right angles to the direction of the length of the grid conductors. On these supports are arranged the flexible wire conductors-or contacts springs 16, 17, 18,19 and 20, 21, 22, 23, etc. The supports 15 may carry any desired number of sets of contact springs depending upon the switch capacity desired. For simplicity of illustration, however, only two such sets are shown on support 15 in the sectional view of Figs. 3and 7. The free ends of springs 16, 17, 18, 19 and 20, 21, 22, 23, etc., extend through individual apertures 24, 25, 26, 27 of an insulatingrmember.or card 28, which is mounted on movable supports 29 and 30 fixed at one end portion to the support 15. The supports 29 and 30 are adjusted normally to holdfthe card and flexed contact wires downwardly out of contact with the grid conductors with which they are associated. v 7

With each vertical row of contacts there is associated a vertical rotatable bar. 31 which is journaled at its endhportionin bearings (not shown) in portions of the switch frame 14. Securely attached to each bar- 31 isan armature 33 arranged to be attracted by an electromagnet 34 whereby the bar 31 is rotated out of its normal position in response to each energization of said electromagnet. On each verticalbar 31 there is provided a number of resilient arms 35,

each individual to a set-of contact springs. With each grid unit there is associated a horizontal rotatable bar 36 each of which is provided with an armature 37 and an electromagnet 38 whereby the bar is rotated from normal to oft-normal position.

Each horizontal rotating bar is provided with a number'of arms 39 and an upwardly extending arm 41 which has its free end loosely connected to the grid unit by means of a connecting rod 42. The spring 12 which is attached to the support is adapted to hold the said grid in a non-operated position as shown in Fig. 2. Each of these arms 39 is individually associated with a set of contact wires 16, 17, 18, 19 and an arm 35, but it will be noted that normally arms 39 are free to move in a vertical path to one side of their respectively associated resilient arms 35. V

This istrue, however, only when an arm 35 associated with any arm 39 is in its normal non-operated position as shownat 40, Fig. 1, wherein the arm 39 is shown in its off-normal ineffective position.

When the vertical bar 31 is rotated out 'of its normal position by electromagnet 34,

the end portions 61 of arms 35 are moved into operable relation with their associated arms 39. The continued movement of bar 36 results in lifting the operating card 28 through the engagement of the resilient arm 35 by arm 39 so as to permit the transverse contact wires 16, 17, 18, 19 to engage the link conductors 1, 2, 3 and 4, re-

spectively. The grid unit supporting the longitudinal conductors is simultaneously operated through its connect-ion to lever 41 thereby effecting a wiping contact on-its cooperated set of contacts. The grid units 9 (Fig. 5) are each provided with a lug 53 extending laterally therefrom and disposed in operable relation with a side cam 54 secured on shaft 36. The said cam when rotated engages the lug 53 and imparts a lateral movement'to the grid unit against the resistance of the resilient supports 10 and the supporting reeds 55, 56, 57 and 58 for the grid conductors, thus, similarly efi'ecting a wiping contact on-their cooperated set of contacts.

What is claimed is:

1. Ina switching mechanism, a set of wire conductors arranged in open grid, a longitudinally movable member, a plurality of insulative mounting blockson said m0vable member to support said wire conductors, a set of wire contacts associated with said conductors, means operable to put said set of contacts in operative relation to said set of conductors, and other means operable to move said set of contacts into engagement with said set of conductors and to move simultaneously the said movable member-also to effect a wiping contact between said sets of contacts'and conductors.

2. In a switching mechanism, a set of movable conductors arranged in open grid, a set of movable contact springs coordinately disposed to said set of movable conductors, each contact spring protruding through the open grid and adjacent to one of the conductors of said set, means opera e to p t, th a d s t of a t 59 g? in operative relation to said set of conductors, and other means operable to move both of said sets simultaneously to effect a rubbing interengagement.

In a switching mechanism, a frame, a

.set of separately removable conductors arranged in parallel, a longitudinally movable member, a plurality of insulative blocks arranged on said movable member to mount said set of conductors, a set of wire contacts normally extending through said set of conductors, each wire contact being in propinquity to one conductor of said set, and means for removing as a unit from said frame said movable member with its conductors and insulative blocks, the removal affecting no other operation of the switch except those of its associated wire contact sets.

4. In a switching mechanism, a frame, a set of wire contacts, a set of individually removable conductors arranged in parallel and coordinately disposed to said set of wire contacts, a longitudinally movable member, a plurality of insulative blocks arranged on said movable member to mount said set of conductors, a connecting-rod on said movable member, a rotatable operating bar, an arm fixedly attached at one end to said operating bar and connected at the other end to the said connecting-rod, a second arm fixedly attached at one end to said operating bar and free at the other end to move said set of wire contacts when in operative position, another bar loosely connected to said movable member and said frame to direct the movable member longitudinally, and means for rotating the operating bar thereby moving the set of wire contacts and movable member, the latter transversely and longitudinally, to effect a diagonal rubbing between the said sets of conductors and wire contacts.

In. a switching mechanism, a frame, a set of wire contacts, a set of individually removable conductors arranged in parallel and coordinately disposed to said set of wire contacts, a longitudinally movable member, a plurality of insulative blocks arranged on said movable member to mount said set of conductors, a connecting-rod on said movable member, a rotatable operating bar, an arm fixedly attached at one end to said operating bar and loosely connected at the other end to said connecting-rod, a second arm fixedly attached at one end to said operating bar and free at the other end to move said set of wire contacts when in operative position, means for rotating said operating bar thereby moving the set of wire contacts and movable member to effect a wiping engagement between said sets of contacts and conductors, and other means for restoring the set of wire contacts and movable member to their normal positions.

6. In a switch structure, a longitudinally movable member for supporting a set of parallel conductors, a support flexibly connected to each end of said movable mem her and securely locked to said structure, a resilient element within said support, and means operable to move said member longitudinally to effect a wiping connection be tween said set of conductors and a set of wire contacts thereby causing a flexed condition in said resilient element while the connection is established, the flexed condi tion of the resilient element restoring the movable member to normal position when the connection is broken.

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this 23rd day of June, A. D., 1922.

CHARLES D. RICHARD. 

